


Beneath the Stars Above

by Skywinder



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Mentions of Past Slavery and Oppression, Pre-Series, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-05 12:36:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,879
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4180122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skywinder/pseuds/Skywinder
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While on night sentry duty after a fierce battle against the Quintessons, Jetfire begins to wonder if the war will ever end.  As he ponders this possibility, a visitor shows up.  One who helps him put a few things into much needed perspective.</p><p>Set very pre-canon, during the Quintesson War.  Loosely connected to the <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/series/135963">Missing Piece</a> and <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/series/249646">Shadows of the Past</a> series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Beneath the Stars Above

**Author's Note:**

  * For [grayseeker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/grayseeker/gifts).



> Wayyyy back when I did Last Visit, [grayseeker](http://archiveofourown.org/users/grayseeker/pseuds/grayseeker) started hinting to me that she'd like to see a story about Jetfire's past with what I considered to be a throwaway OC at that time, a mech called Challen. Held out for quite a while, but I got to thinking these last few weeks about some things related to both my stories Missing Piece and Spark of My Spark. Those considerations led me to write this little story. Hope you all like.
> 
> Title is taken from lyrics in a very poignant Garth Brooks song, made even more so by the scenes they show in the video.
> 
> Here is a link to the original music video: https://vimeo.com/60119381
> 
> In that video, too, it shows where Challen's name comes from. See if you can guess what I mean. And no, grayseeker, you cannot, since I told you. :-P
> 
> One last thing. If Jetfire does seem a little OOC from how I've written him prior, just remember that this is when he's a far younger mech than he is now, with far less life experience.
> 
> * * *

_Looking back_  
_on the memory of_  
_the dance we shared_  
_'neath the stars above._  
_For a moment,_  
_all the world was right._  
_How could I have known_  
_that you'd ever say goodbye?_ \- Garth Brooks, _The Dance_

* * *

Jetfire gazed out into the darkness, his optics scanning very carefully over the landscape.

 _Nothing so far, it seems_ , he thought grimly. Which he had to admit was a rare occurrence these orns, as the Quints usually took every chance they could to wear them down with surprise attacks. Jetfire could only guess that the battle that had taken place earlier in the cycle had caused them a greater blow than the shuttle and his comrades expected.

 _And good slagging riddance_ , he thought with a sneer. Still, it was best to be careful, since the silence could be deceptive. And they'd played tricks on them before.

Fifty-three thousand vorns ago, about twelve thousand before Jetfire had been Sparked, the Quintessons had invaded Cybertron with the intent of making it part of their "empire". They were a race of metal and organic flesh, origins unknown, though some believed from their name that there was a connection to Quintus Prime, something that Jetfire internally snorted at. He had serious doubts that Quintus (if he'd existed at all) would have had anything to do with such a monstrosity of a race. You were either organic or you were metal. All there was to it.

Not to mention that he highly doubted that anything created by a Cybertronian would have turned on Cybertron.

In any case, they'd chosen their world well, he had to admit. Cybertron had been divided into groups and sub-groups, which wandered over the planet, staking out claims here and there. There was contact between said groups from time to time, sometimes ending in violent clashes, sometimes for peaceful purposes, such as trade. But there were no serious tensions, and weapons were used mainly for enforcement purposes.

The Quints' arrival had changed all that. Jetfire could only suppose that they'd observed them for some time to have taken over as quickly as they had. With the groups as divided as they were, with the limited contact and weaker weapons, it had been Sparkling play to swoop in, attack and gather them together into various enclaves with the intention of forcing them to mine energon and build weapons and ship factories. After which, they were made to work in those factories. Frametypes that had never mixed together before were now forced to live together, and it had created tensions. For a time.

But as the vorns dragged on, and the Quints became more and more harsh on them, punishing them for even the smallest infraction, which could sometimes be no more than looking at one of them. One of their favorite punishments was throwing mechs or femmes they believed to be subversive into the Sharkticon pit. Usually, said "subversion" was no more than asking for extra energon. You couldn't bond, as a bond meant you were potentially keeping secrets. Mechs and femmes were often separated from their Creations after their births, never seeing them again, as the Quints had them taken to other enclaves where they could be "educated" in the glory of the Quintesson Empire. It was a rare case where a Cybertronian was able to hide their Creation successfully enough to keep them from being taken. Jetfire had been one of those cases.

For nearly forty thousand vorns, this went on. But the Quints had failed to realize that by bringing the various frametypes together, enslaving them and inflicting cruelties on them created the opposite effect of what they'd intended. They'd tried to break them, make them submissive, but the cruel treatment had galvanized them instead. Some started sneaking out weapons and hiding them in caches near the factories. And then had come the destruction of a Quintesson warship while in a shipyard for repairs. A mech calling himself A3 claimed responsibility, and called on Cybertronians to rise up against their oppressors.

Which they'd done with a vengeance, using the weapons that had been hidden away. It had at first seemed like a losing battle, with so many being killed early on. The Quints had the experience of war which they had not. But over time, necessity had taught them to innovate, create new weapons, and utilize their alt-modes in ways that they'd never used before.

The war had been going on for thirteen thousand vorns now, with no end in sight. More and more often, there were night cycles like this when Jetfire wondered if they would ever drive the Quints off of Cybertron. But one thing he knew for certain, he'd die before he allowed himself to become a slave again.

He let out a heavy huff of air through his vents.

"A credit for your thoughts," an amused-sounding voice came from behind him.

Startled, Jetfire whirled around, raising his blaster in the direction of the voice. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" he growled, cursing himself for his brief inattention.

"Easy, 'Fire. It's only me," came the still amused voice.

Jetfire squinted into the shadows at the sound of the familiar address. Adjusting his optics, he was soon able to perceive a pair of yellow optics...and a very familiar winged shape. Shaking his head, he lowered his blaster.

"Slag it all, Challen! Don't scare me like that! I could have shot you!"

The mech called Challen chuckled and stepped forward. "Sorry. But you seemed a world away. Needed to break you out of that." The smile the mech had been wearing dropped away at the last words, to be replaced by a worried expression. "What were you thinking about that got you so distracted? If the Quints had attacked..."

Jetfire grimaced, but didn't reply immediately as he pondered his answer. "Just thinking about the past. Wondering if this war will ever end," he finally replied. He shook his head. "The usual."

Challen's gaze moved away from the other flier to drift over the open plain, weariness appearing in his optics. "I see." He stepped forward again until he was standing right next to Jetfire. "Explains the despondency I felt through the bond."

"Heh." The larger mech turned his red optics towards his wine-colored companion briefly, a bitter half-smile appearing on his face. "Something like that."

"It will end, Jetfire," Challen replied, lifting a hand to touch the other's arm. "We'll win. We've gained more ground than we've lost the past few vorns."

"I want to believe that, Challen. I do. But sometimes...," Jetfire's voice trailed off and he shook his head. "I can't help but feel we're fighting a losing battle. They just don't quit coming."

Challen nodded wearily. "I know," he whispered.

For a few kliks, the two stood in silence. "Talked to Endeavron earlier as you suggested," the Seeker said, still quietly.

Jetfire grunted an acknowledgement of the change of subject. "And what did your sibling say to the news of our bond?" he asked, just as quietly, his gaze again focused on the area in front of him.

"He wasn't happy about it," the wine-colored flier replied, somewhat irritably.

Jetfire's head turned briefly in shock at the other mech's words. Somehow, given that Endeavron had raised no objections to his sharing a berth with his sibling, he'd assumed the other mech wouldn't give them trouble once he'd learned they'd bonded. Apparently, he'd been wrong. "What? But I thought...?"

"It's not you, Jetfire." Challen shook his head, feeling the confusion and surprise through the bond and wanting to reassure his mate. "He's more concerned that we've bonded during a war. He feels we should have waited until victory was more certain, when there was less danger of one of us deactivating."

Jetfire frowned, then his expression turned thoughtful. He had to admit, Endeavron _did_ have a point. Even with the small string of victories of late, the war was nowhere near won yet. The chance that either he or Challen could go offline was very real. "He's not wrong, Challen. It _is_ a possibility. You know that as well as I."

Even now, Jetfire could still remember the horror he'd felt seeing his Carrier Blaze being shot down very shortly before he'd received his adult upgrades. His Sire Columnis had also gone down in battle, about one thousand vorns before that. He'd seen friends and companions, mechs he'd known in the enclaves from the time he was a Sparkling, cut down without mercy. He'd been wounded, many times very seriously, during this war. He would be a fool to ignore the fact that he could die too.

And so could Challen. A lucky shot could bring either or both of them down.

"I know," the jet said. "But it was our choice to bond. We knew what we were doing. He doesn't have a right to dictate our personal lives. I told him to back the frag off."

Jetfire shook his head. In principle, he agreed, but...

"Shouldn't have said that, Challen. He's your older sibling, and in line to lead your clan one day, should he and your kin survive the war. I know that some of them don't think much of the idea of a kinless mech joining your family. We could use his support if they say anything against us. Might not be a wise idea to anger him."

Challen's wings dipped slightly, and he didn't answer right away, his gaze scanning over the area in front of them. "Maybe it wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done, but it needed to be said," he replied after a few kliks.

Jetfire let out a huff of air through his vents. "Point," he agreed. As much as he liked Endeavron, he couldn't deny there were times the mech could use lessons in tact. He turned his scanners outward again, doing a more intensive scan of the area.

Still nothing.

"I should probably head back to the camp," Challen said softly, looking up at Jetfire's face. "I'll see you when your guard shift ends." He smiled. "Be careful, love."

Jetfire looked down at Challen and grinned. "Don't worry about me. Takes more than a single Quint to bring me down," he replied in an amused tone. "I'll be back in the morning cycle. Promise."

Challen just shook his head with a chuckle. "I'll hold you to that." was his response. He turned and walked back into the shadows, giving a last wave before he headed back to their camp.

Jetfire watched him go, then stiffened his posture as he turned his head back to face the perimeter once more. _Trust Challen to always know the right time to show up_ , the shuttle thought, a grin spreading on his face as he did so. Mech never failed to turn up whenever he felt the shuttle needed the company.

Maybe they'd win the war, maybe they wouldn't. Jetfire still didn't know. But at least he had someone next to him however it went.

_And that's something to be grateful for._

* * *

_And now,_  
_I'm glad I didn't know_  
_the way it all would end,_  
_the way it all would go._  
_Our lives,_  
_are better left to chance._  
_I could have missed the pain,_  
_but I'd have had to miss_  
_the dance._


End file.
